Word: transplantation
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...Cleveland Clinic gave Siemionow the green light for the improbable operation, one that involved the transplantation of about 500 sq cm of skin, arteries, veins, nerves, muscles and bony structure, all of which had to be attached with sufficient dexterity to restore the patient's ability to feel, blink, eat, smell, speak and - not incidentally - smile. This was not what doctors call solid-organ transplant; it was a multitissue transplant, which is an order of magnitude more difficult than, say, a heart transplant or a hand graft...
...Before the doctors could proceed, they needed not only extensive practice, but also to resolve the complex issues involved in selecting the right patient for the landmark operation. That's because transplanting a face transforms a patient's identity. Even though differences in the underlying bony structure mean the recipient is unlikely to resemble the donor once the procedure is completed, it's impossible for the patient's sense of self not to be profoundly shaken. "Picture yourself as a person who has received a face transplant," says Dr. Eric Kodish, the team's lead bioethicist. "Now use your moral...
...have exhausted all other reconstructive procedures, had to be emotionally stable and had to understand fully the implications and risks of the procedure. And, of course, they truly had to want the operation. Says Siemionow: "We asked all of the patients, 'Is it you who wants a face transplant or is it someone in your family. Do you understand you'll be living with the face of someone who is deceased...
...same race, gender and approximate age. The call to alert Siemionow that a donor had finally been found came in the middle of the night earlier this month, and her team was hastily gathered. The operation began at 5:30 that afternoon. As the recipient was being prepped, the transplant tissue was harvested from the donor, an exhaustive procedure that took more than nine hours. "The doctors transferred all of the facial muscles, the upper lip, all of the nose, most of the sinuses and some of the teeth," says Dr. Toby Cosgrove, the CEO of the Cleveland Clinic...
...Cleveland team is now consulting with the Department of Defense to explore facial transplants for severely disfigured soldiers, though it will be quite some time before the procedure becomes even remotely routine. For now, the doctors are focusing on their first successful transplant patient. And while she has not even gotten a good look at her new face yet, she has found another way to experience it. "She has lifted her hands and run them over her face," says Siemionow. "She feels that she once again has a nose and a jaw." For someone who had lost so much, that...